Am 8. Januar 2021 stand Europa kurz vor einem Blackout. Einmal mehr zeigte sich dabei, wie Wasserkraft in Krisensituationen maßgeblich zur Stabilisierung der europäischen Stromnetze beiträgt. Hydropower is an indispensable asset for the stability and security of energy supply in Europe because it provides reserve and control energy in combination with high control dynamics as well as its capability of black start and island operation.
vgbe, the technical association of power plant operators, has written a background report on the event with a special focus on the role of hydropower. The report looks beyond an analysis of power grid disturbances and shows the challenges associated with the ongoing transformation of the European energy system and that hydropower can contribute even further to grid protection and supply security in the future.
The Austrian Power Grid (APG) recently published a video about the incident – see below.
